MYTH: A Palestinian-Arab State Created Today would be Peaceful

Mahmoud Abbas, the man designated to take over a future Palestinian-Arab state, leads a corrupt and oppressive dictatorship that repeatedly calls for the annihilation of Israel (photo credit: Wikipedia Commons, World Economic Forum).

FACT: If created today, a Palestinian-Arab state in Judea and Samaria (the “West Bank”) and Gaza would greatly threaten Israel’s existence for the following reasons:

The international community recognizes that if a Palestinian-Arab state were created today, the Palestinian Authority (PA) would take over. Through their media outlets, mosques, and schools, PA leaders regularly call for the annihilation of the Jewish state. They brainwash their population to believe they should sacrifice their own lives to kill Israelis and destroy the Israel. Moreover, PA leaders continuously tell their people to attack Israelis (via acts of terrorism) whenever possible.

These threats are especially problematic because if the PA gains control of Judea and Samaria, it will have control of the mountains overlooking most of Israel’s population centers (Tel Aviv and Jerusalem), nearly all of Israel’s economy, and Israel’s international airport. Given the fact that the PA has weapons, a stated goal of Israel’s destruction, and a recent history of saying it will destroy Israel if given the chance, there is no reason to believe it would not attack Israeli civilians living in the valleys beneath a future “Palestine.” Furthermore, before Israel gained control of Judea and Samaria in 1967, hostile Arab forces used the high ground to attack Israeli civilians. Given that the leaders of a would-be “Palestine” have pledged to do the same, there is no reason to believe that history would not repeat itself.

Moreover, Abbas Zaki, senior advisor to PA President Mahmoud Abbas and member of the Fatah Central Committee, even admitted that the “two-state solution” is simply the next step in all of Israel’s destruction.

If Israel gives Judea and Samaria to the Palestinian-Arabs, Israel will be at its narrowest point only nine miles wide. This proved to be indefensible before 1967, and given the fact that the would-be leaders of “Palestine” admit to being just as hostile as the Arab forces that controlled the area prior to 1967, Israel would be indefensible yet again.

If Israel were to give the Jordan Valley (the eastern part of Judea and Samaria that borders Jordan) to the PA, Islamic extremist forces would have a direct land bridge from Iran, to Iraq, to Jordan, and into “Palestine” overlooking Israel’s major population centers, economy, and international airport. There would be no way for Israel to monitor the flow of weapons from Iran. This is especially problematic given the fact that Iranian leaders – who also call for the destruction of Israel – have said they will arm the Palestinian-Arabs in Judea and Samaria.

Most experts believe that if a Palestinian-Arab state were created today, Hamas (an internationally recognized terrorist organization) would easily overthrow the PA and take complete control of the land overlooking the Jewish state. Hamas did just this in Gaza in 2007 and has since launched thousands of rockets at Israeli civilians and has dug tunnels underneath the boarder in an attempt to kidnap and murder Israelis. Hamas’s rockets have already traumatized millions of Israelis to date, and if Hamas were to launch rockets on a regular basis at Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Ben Gurion International Airport, it would kill thousands of people and shut down Israel’s economy.

“Land for peace” with the PA has never worked. In fact, attempts at giving the PA land have always resulted in more terrorism against Israel. The following are examples:

In 1993 (through the Oslo Accords), Israel became the first country in history to give the Palestinian-Arabs autonomy (by giving the PA complete control over all major Palestinian-Arab population centers in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza). However, instead of leading to peace, the PA used its increased power to fund even more incitement and terrorism against Jews and Israel. As a result of this, more Israelis – both Jewish and Arab – died in PA-sponsored terrorist attacks following Oslo.

In 2000 (at the Camp David II Accords), Israel offered the PA nearly all of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza for peace. Saudi Prince Bandar, a diplomat present at the negotiations between the two sides advised then-PA President Yasser Arafat to take the deal: “If we lose this opportunity, it is not going to be a tragedy, it is going to be a crime.” Instead, however, the PA rejected the offer and started a five-year wave of terrorist attacks (known as the “Second Intifada”) that killed hundreds of Israeli Jewish and Arab civilians. Imad Faluji, the Palestinian Authority Minister of Communications at the time, said that the outcome of the peace negotiations – rejection followed by terrorism – had been predetermined. “This intifada was already planned since [Arafat] the President returned from the recent talks at Camp David [July 2000].”

In 2005, Israel withdrew from Gaza to allow the PA to build a Palestinian-Arab state. Two years later, Hamas took over Gaza and has since launched thousands of rockets at Israeli civilians and has initiated three wars with the Jewish state.

In 2008, Israel again offered the PA nearly all of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza for peace. PA President Abbas walked away from the negotiating table and refused to make a counter offer. Instead of accepting the offer for peace, Abbas continued to regularly incite against Israel. Since this offer, violent Palestinian-Arab attacks have continued at a high rate, as terrorists regularly attack Jewish families in their cars, at train stations, and even at cemeteries.